content warning for mentions of stalking, manipulation, assault, rape, coercive control, abuse, and the romanticization of the aforementioned.

I'd like to start off by saying I am aromantic and not much of a romance reader myself (although I don't mind a romance subplot if it's done well), so I'm asking this as an outsider to the genre. I first remember hearing the term "dark romance" as a teenager, and at that point it seemed to refer to any romance book that featured and romanticized stalking, manipulation, assault, rape, coercive control, or other abuses between the protagonist and their (usually her) love interest. Books like Twilight, 50 Shades of Gray, and Throne of Glass come to mind for me first when I hear the term, although I know that they are probably a bit too out-of-date to meaningfully represent the genre today.

Lately, I've been seeing more and more conversation about dark romance, and in particular I've seen more and more people say that "real" dark romance does not involve any abuse or assault between the romantically-involved characters. If that is the case, then what distinguishes a dark romance from a regular romance? Is this a popular position among dark romance readers or a controversial one? Is there a different genre title for books that do feature abuse or rape (and to be clear, here I am referring to specifically abuse and rape, not impact play or consensual non-consent or any other kink) in a romanticized or eroticized way?

So my school is doing a reading challenge, which I obviously agreed to do, which involves reading a book from (mostly) every genre. Of course, this involves sports. Only I hate sports with a burning passion but have to read one to finish the challenge. So does anyone have a sports book rec that doesn’t feel like a sports book? I mostly read dystopian and fantasy with romance as a subplot. The less is it feels like I’m reading a sports book the better. I know the chance of me finding something I’ll be able to stick with is low but I’ve gotta try.

Hi everyone! I thought it would be cool to share books where the main character is/does [something], to help people (ME!) discover new books Here's a list with a few ideas I would love to see! A book where the main character...

• is a dancer;
• does a very questionable choice;
• is a wonderful friend but a "bad" person;
• is a crocheter;
• is a dragon;
• commits a big mistake and by the end of the book she still couldn't solve it.

Do you update your goal or just crush it and adjust next year? I have the feeling of wanting to adjust it but at the same time I’d be upset if I don’t hit my new goal 😂

do you take notes? do you read slower? do you bust out highlighters and tabs?

when i was young and we’d get pulled out of class to assess our reading, i was well aware of the timer in my teacher’s hand. i could read quickly and fluently, but when it came to the post-reading quiz, i realized i didn’t retain much of anything.

fast forward to current day me, predisposed to the quick dopamine-laden yet numbing nature of social media—i’ve read 30+ books this year, and i doubt my abilities to describe to you what each was about. i can’t really do it with my most recent reads either. (i have suffered from great memory loss, undiagnosed, but i suspect from depression, but i still think i can afford to slow down and soak in the words on a page).

i also think i’m too hard on myself with reading (and anything i do lol) so i involuntarily add pressure to the hobby, and then i get frustrated with myself.

please help 🥲

Okay, I've heard of people collecting libraries left and right for access to various books on Libby, is this free or are people paying for it? I thought you had to live in the county to get free access to the library. I ask this because I live in a small town/some parts rural area and the Libby here doesn't have a lot of access to indie publications/indie authors. Also, I'm about to move to a different state, will my old Libby card disappear as soon as I apply and enter my new county's card in the app?

If you can't tell, I'm pretty new to Libby (I just started it about a year ago after I realized how much I was spending on books 😅). I'm still learning and navigating things, but I figured I'd ask since I've seen IG users constantly talking about all their Libby accounts.